UK Women Are Taking Expensive Acting Classes To Succeed At Business – Here Are Five Tips They Give

We have heard it all before: stop apologising, omit “I think” from your general vocab, and voice your opinion where necessary if you want to get further in your job.

It’s simple, right?

Apparently not, because women are taking acting classes to improve their chances in this man-eat-man world.

Based on the principle that “how people hold their bodies affects their voice,” reports The Telegraph, women are also being taught to “take up more space”:

On hand to practice dreaded scenarios such as fending off sexist comments or asking for a pay rise or promotion, are a gang of actors who take on roles of bosses and colleagues.

And all because of the recent reports disclosing vast pay gaps between men and women in “city careers”:

Financial firm Virgin Money disclosed that men earn, on average, 36 per cent more than women. At asset manager Schroders, the pay gap was 31 per cent.

Bleak.

Liz Barber, client director at RADA in Business, the company that gives women lessons on improving their stature, said:

Many women entering sectors like consultancy, financial services and law, are suddenly finding themselves in a very hierarchical environment. This is a contrast to school and university where they haven’t had to think about being treated differently as a woman, and sadly it can erode their confidence.

When they arrive they will be keen to show off their technical prowess, but quite often they haven’t been taught about how to hold themselves and make their voices heard. Our courses are trying to change that by giving women the skills they need to empower themselves.

Here are RADA’s top tips for women:

Expand and take up space. Looking down and physically minimising your size indicates that you have a lower status in a business environment.

Don’t use pacifying gestures when under stress. Twirling your hair or fiddling with jewellery can convey unease and nervousness.

Avoid raising your voice at the end of a sentence when you are not asking a question. Raising your voice at the end of a sentence or upspeak signals that you are timid and seeking approval.

Do not wait your turn. As a young woman entering the workplace, you may be surrounded by senior men and women who interrupt more frequently. Speak up with strength and confidence.